


The Fine Line: Strong vs Weak

by Midnight_Serenity



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-05-15 09:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14787686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Serenity/pseuds/Midnight_Serenity
Summary: Sakura tired of being weak, turns to the Akatsuki for strength. But when the rest of Team 7 find out, how will they react? How will Sasuke handle it? How will Sakura handle her new bound abilities?This is set right as the Shippuuden arc is beginning.Warning: This is my take on Shippuuden. Some main characters actions throughout the story as well as Sakura's backstory has been altered. The main focus is Sakura, The Akatsuki, and Team 7.SasuSaku Pairing. Maybe others in later chapters.Enjoy the ride!





	1. Sakura's Hard Decision

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Fine Line: Strong and Weak](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/384650) by HilaryxKai1234 . 



> I do not own any Naruto characters or anything from the Naruto universe! I am a simple writer with a over creative imagination!
> 
> This is a rewrite of my older fanfiction on Fanfiction.net: The Fine Line: Strong and Weak.
> 
> I welcome any and all comments, though if its a nasty one I most likely will ignore it. haha.

A Naruto Fanfic

Author: Midnight_Serenity

# Chapter 1: Sakura’s Hard Decision

Sakura Haruno walked out of the Konoha Hospital, a yawn resonating though her for the twentieth time tonight. Or to be more accurate this morning, as she read 2:00am on the clock on her way out the door. Her shift yesterday was nothing short of tiring, as around noon an Anbu squad of four members were rushed into her care in critical condition. It had taken her hours to get the Anbu out of the red zone, and two hours after that to watch over them to make sure the squad had no relapses or serious side effects that her healing might have missed. Eventually Shizune took over for her, tiredly handing her all the papers on the squad and giving her a brief rundown before moving on to her other appointments of the day. By the time she slowly walked out of the hospital, her chakra levels were low, and she was incredibly tired. _‘It wasn’t enough.’_ She wasn’t strong enough. It frustrated her to no end. 

Weak. 

Annoying. 

Two words constantly associated with her. 

Finally reaching her apartment, Sakura stumbled inside, shutting the door behind her with her foot. Thankfully her little apartment wasn’t far from the hospital or she probably would have had no choice but to sleep in the small office Tsunade set up for her. She looked around her dark little place, letting a sad sigh escape her lips. She had lived here for over a year alone, ever since her parent’s murder at the hands of Orochimaru. They had been on a surveillance mission that had gone terribly wrong, encountering Orochimau and Kabuto his assistant. The two had tortured them for hours before finally killing them. She hadn’t even gotten the news of her parent’s death until the day after their bodies were brought back, as she pulled another all nighter at the hospital. When she finally was told the news, she completely shut down. 

She was all alone now. 

Walking into her bathroom, she showered off the blood and grime from her body, toweling herself off quickly to slip into a red nightgown, and finally sliding into her cold bed. As tired as she was though, sleep would not come to her. She lay wide awake in her dark room, staring at the ceiling with only her thoughts. A million questions started racing through her mind. 

Why did Orochimaru kill her parents? 

Would she ever see Sasuke again? 

Why does everyone she love, leave her? 

First it was Sasuke. When he left she couldn’t stop him, and it tore her up inside. It changed her. Than Naruto left to train with Jiraya. Than Kakashi left on a long mission. And finally, her parents. Ever since then she shut herself down. Never really smiling or laughing anymore. What really tore at her was her weakness, being unable to stop the people she cared about from leaving. No matter how long she spent with Tsunade, she still felt as weak and powerless as if she was still a genin trailing behind Naruto and Sasuke. She was always one step behind them, always being protected. Right before her parents murder she thought maybe Kakashi could help her train and then maybe with what she had learned from Tsunade, she could become stronger, take on stronger missions. Find Sasuke and Orochimaru. Yet The day she was going to ask him, he had left on a mission and she hadn’t heard from him since. 

_‘Weakling! Useless! Annoying!’_ Those words danced around her mind, taunting her. 

No. 

No More. 

She had to change, she had to become stronger. 

But deep down she knew she couldn’t achieve the level she needed in Konoha. Coming to the realization, she knew at least a little, how Sasuke felt when he decided to leave. The only difference was Sasuke had support, from Naruto, from Kakashi, from her. That night as she stared up at the ceiling, she made up her mind. Tomorrow would be her last day in Konoha. Come night, she would quietly leave. Though a sudden question came to her mind. 

Where would she go? 

“Great start to a plan there, Sakura.” She scolded herself. She knew she couldn’t leave to another neighboring village, or she would no doubt be dragged back by Tsunade and she doubted what strength she was looking for was not as easy as skipping over to the next available village. Turning to Orochimaru was out of the question for many reasons. Than an idea popped into her head. The Atatsuki. She had overheard Tsunade mention they were around the area, though no one was able to pinpoint where. And while she knew very little of the Organization, she knew it was full of missing ninja from all different villages. Including Sasuke’s older brother Itachi, who she read about a few years ago, right after Sasuke had left. 

She had treated many Konoha ninja who had gone against them and lost, hearing many horror stories of the group. She was slightly worried about how brutal she heard they were, but in her mind, there was no better place to go. No better place to start over. With there being so many different missing ninja, there must be many things she could learn from them and she would hopefully feel right at home, being a new missing ninja herself. With her mind clear on her goal, she fell into a restless sleep. 

**END OF CHAPTER 1**


	2. Sakura, Missing Ninja of the Hidden Leaf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do NOT own anything from the Naruto Universe including characters or places!  
> Enjoy all!

A Naruto Fanfic 

Author: Midnight_Serenity 

Chapter 2: Sakura, Missing Ninja of the Hidden Leaf 

Sakura woke to the shrill beeping of the alarm in her ears. Groaning, she rolled over, hitting the off button to quiet the room once again. She rolled out of bed, walking over to her curtain covered windows, throwing them open with one swipe. She was met with a dark cloudy view. 

“What time is it?” Muttering to herself she turned to look at her clock, forgetting what time she had set the alarm for. The harsh red letters on the clock read 6:00am. Letting out a sigh, she walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower, hoping it would wake her up from her groggy state. 

Twenty minutes later she came out feeling more awake and proceeded to change into her usual daytime outfit, pulling on a red shirt donning the Haruno crest on the back. Next, she put on a pair of black form fitting shorts and a short pale pink skirt with slits across each side of her hips with matching armbands, finishing her outfit with a pair of long black ninja boots reaching the top of her kneecaps. She brushed the knots from her hair in her full view mirror, finishing her look with her red shinobi headband that she tied just above her bangs, briefly checking her appearance before walking outside her apartment, locking the door and heading towards the hospital, ready to start her final day as a Konoha shinobi. 

Fifteen minutes later Sakura walked into the front doors of the hospital, heading towards the employee area. She opened the door almost running right into Shizune, who seemed to be in a hurry. Shizune quickly looked up at her, muttering an apology. 

“I’m sorry! Oh, Sakura perfect timing!” Sakura raised an eyebrow at the older woman as she continued. “I’ve got a patient calling for me, would you please walk over to the Hokages office to wake up Lady Tsunade for me? She overworked herself again and I haven’t had time yet to wake her.” Shizune skirted around Sakura as she spoke, walking backwards as she finished her question. Sakura didn’t get two words in before Shizune hurried off with a short “Thanks!” She watched the older woman hurry deep into the hospital with a scowl, unhappy at her new task. 

Sakura closed her eyes with a sigh, closing the employee door and walking out of the hospital towards the Hokage office. Reaching the office, she quickly made her way to the front door, opening it to find the woman in question slumped over piles of paperwork, sleeping deeply. She rolled her eyes at the sleeping woman, walking up to her desk noticing the many empty sake bottles mixed in with the mounds of paperwork. 

“Unbelievable.” With little effort, Sakura slammed her hand down on the desk near Tsunade’s head shaking the desk and paperwork violently. “Lady Tsunade wake up.” Her voice was calm yet had a hint of annoyance to it. 

Despite the rude awakening, Tsunade awoke groggily, looking up at her pupils annoyed expression. “Sakura stop screaming I’ve got a headache and your making it worse.” Her teacher mimicked her expression while she slowly spoke, clearly, she was still hungover. 

_‘Cha! Ill give you more than a headache!’_ Inner Sakura made an appearance, popping out from behind her to chime in. 

“Lady Tsunade, Shizune asked me to come and wake you up.” Sakura gave her teacher a disapproving stare, watching her teacher sit up straight in her chair and pull out a stack of paperwork towards her. Tsunade nodded, her eyebrows furrowing at her student’s words. “Oh, she did? Well thank you. Now I’m sure your needed at the hospital, see you later Sakura.” Dismissing her, Tsunade focused on her papers, not bothering to look up at her. Though Tsunade was right, it didn’t hurt her feelings any less. It made her feel like she wasn’t needed. 

Like she wasn’t wanted. 

Sakura hurriedly turned on her heel and left the office heading back to the hospital, burying her hurt feelings deep inside her. 

~A few hours later~ 

Sakura looked up at the time blowing out a breath of relief as the clock read 7:00 pm, her normal ending time. Surprisingly the Anbu squad she oversaw were all in stable condition and all her other appointments for the day had been taken care of in a timely manner, taking it as a sign that she was doing the right thing by choosing to leave tonight. 

She headed home shortly after, packing a few of her belongings. A few outfits and enough food and water to last her until she found the Akatsuki base. But the most important items she couldn’t leave behind were two pictures. The first was a picture of her parents and her, being a very young age of seven, as she was held on the hip of her father, with her arms wrapped around his neck. Her fathers other hand around the waste of her mothers, as they all smiled brightly at the camera. It was the day her parents had taken her out on a picnic on a warm spring day. She remembered that day vividly and smiled fondly at the memory. 

The second most important picture was of her Team Seven photo, the day they became a team. She looked at Naruto’s grumpy face, then her face one full of pure joy, before moving onto Kakashi-sensei’s smile and then Sasuke neutral face. Her chest tightened as she looked at his handsome features. 

_‘Sasuke.’_

She missed him terribly. She missed the simpler times, going on missions with her team, sneaking peaks at Sasuke and picking on Naruto, before heading home to her mom and dad. 

_‘Home.’_

She quickly shook the memories from her mind, distracting herself by continuing to pack. She finished her packing right at midnight, setting her duffle bag down by the front door and heading towards her kitchen to find a piece of paper and a pen to write a good bye note to everyone. Her note was short, sweet and to the point as she read it over. Satisfied, she left the note on the top of her kitchen table in full view for someone to find. She walked to the front door picking up her duffle bag and slinging it around her shoulders she took one last look behind her at her apartment before opening the door and never returning. 

She decided to walk around the village one last time unconsciously finding her herself at all the places she had spent time as a genin. 

The Academy. 

The place for her to fawn over Sasuke while at the same time excel in her studies, trying to get herself noticed by him while fighting over him with her rival, Ino. 

The Bridge. 

The infamous place that Naruto, herself, and Sasuke waited hours each day for Kakashi-sensei to arrive and give them their next mission. She stopped on the middle of the bridge, perfectly replaying herself waiting for Kakashi-sensei yet secretly watching Sasuke as she daydreamed all sort of ideas on dates she would go on with him. Smiling sadly at the memory she walked over the bridge, lest the memories bring more unwanted emotions. 

Eventually she found herself walking past the bench Sasuke had left her at with a small glance, quickly looking away, determined to keep on track. At last she was at the main gate to Konoha. She stopped just past the threshold, looking up at the huge opening. ‘You can do this!’ She mentally pumped herself up, steeling her resolve she walked past the entrance, dashing into the forest beyond, leaving behind her old life as she mentally recited the note she had left. 

_Dear Tsunade,_

_If you are reading this, then I have already left the village. With all that has happened these past few years I feel like I cannot stand being in Konoha any longer, the bad memories outweigh the good and I feel like I have no reason to stay. No one to keep me here. I have nothing left to learn here, and I am still not strong enough._

_I never have been._

_Everyone has left me in one way or another and I haven’t been strong enough to stop them from leaving._

_I am weak._

_I have changed into someone that I don’t even recognize anymore. I have no other options, I have no one here that can help me grow stronger, no one left to come home to. With all that said, I have decided to leave the village to hopefully find myself, to find my true strength both inside and out. Perhaps one day I will return if I am permitted to as I understand that I am now considered a Missing Ninja. I hold nothing against you or the village for how you will treat me once you find this letter and send people after me._

_As for Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, please tell them I am sorry and that it is not their fault. This was my decision, and mine alone. On the off chance you ever run into Sasuke, please tell him that he was right about me._

_I am weak and annoying._

_But that’s about to change._

_I truly wish there was another way, if there was, I never found it. I need to act now. Thank you for everything Lady Tsunade._

_Sincerely,_

_Sakura Haruno_


	3. Naruto and Sasuke's Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry all! Ive been waiting to post this for a week but due to a death of a family pet that hit us suddenly and very tramiticly I have been a total mess but I am finally back and ready to please with my chapters! Thank you all for your patience!

A Naruto Fanfic 

Author: Midnight_Serenity 

Chapter 3: Naruto and Sasuke’s Return 

The next day Naruto and Jiraya returned, walking past the gates to the village and stopping to admire the statue heads of the past and present Hokages. “Hey Pervy Sage! Tsunade’s head was finally added!” The excited blonde pointed to Tsunade’s head, watching his sensei’s reaction. 

“Yes, looks like it.” Jiraya nodded, agreeing with his student. 

Naruto sent chakra to his feet, running up a nearby telephone pole to proudly stand atop it, reaching his arms out on either side of him and breathing in a big gulp of fresh air. To him, it felt amazing to be back and he lost himself in his excitement. 

“The future Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto is back!” His excitement fueled his words, throwing his fists higher in the air. Jiraya chuckled at his pupils’ outburst, staring up at him with a smile. Though Naruto’s excited attitude amused him, it was time to check in with Tsunade. 

“Naruto! Come down from there, its time to head to Tsunade’s office.” Naruto shouted an “Okay” down to him and he walked past him, heading towards the Hokages office. Naruto leapt down from the pole near Jiraya’s retreating form, quickly falling in line besides his teacher. “I can’t wait to see Tsunade! And Sakura-Chan!” The young ninja looked at Jiraya his eyes gleaming, earning another laugh from the Sanin. 

“Well then, we’d better hurry.” With that said, they both put a pep in their step, wanting to get there as soon as possible. 

~NxsxnxsxnxsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsxnsnxnsxnsnxsnxsN~ 

In Tsunade’s office, all was still, as she lay asleep once again, head on her desk that was littered with paperwork and a few bottles of empty Sake. A few seconds later the silence was broken by a certain knuckle-headed ninja who flung the door open yelling, “TSUNADE!” Jiraya was hot on his students heels as they walked into her office, surrounding her desk. 

For the second day in a row, Tsunade woke with a start, looking sleepily at the blonde and her old friend. Grumbling to herself, she did not appreciate the loud wake up call. “Naruto, Jiraya, welcome back. Next time you decide to wake me up like that, you’ll regret it.” She yawned sleepily through her threat causing both boys to laugh. 

“Thank you Tsunade.” Jiraya answered her with a knowing smile. Before Naruto could chime in, a knock sounded at the door. 

“Come in!” Tsunade called out. Naruto and Jiraya moved to the side so they could see the newcomer. Tsunades’s assistant poked her head inside, her long, dirty blonde hair falling on each side of her as she looked at the group inside. 

“Lady Tsunade, sorry to interrupt but there is a man here to see you. He said it was urgent.” Tsunade pondered it for a moment before nodding to her assistant. 

“Very well, send him in.” Her assistant bowed her head slightly, ducking her head back and closing the door behind her. Tsunade looked to Jiraya, finding him already watching her, exchanging a look as they both had a feeling about the unexpected guest. 

A moment later, a knock sounded through the room again. Tsunade called for the person to come in and the door opened. To everyone’s surprise, Sasuke Uchiha entered the room, his dark eyes searching the expressions in the room. 

“..Sasuke.” Naruto looked his friend up and down, noticing the almost identical outfit that Orochimaru wore. 

“Naruto.” The Uchiha glanced at him, acknowledging him with nothing more than his name. Naruto was lost for words, though his mind was racing with questions. 

_‘Why is Sasuke here?’_

 _‘Why today of all days, when he himself had just arrived back in the village?’_

“Sasuke Uchiha, why have you come back?” Tsunade’s question halted Naruto’s inner series of questions. 

Sasuke shifted his attention to Tsunade. “I have killed my former master, Orochimaru. He tried to take over my body after taking me under his wing. But he found out very quickly how bad of an idea it was to underestimate me.” 

Naruto saw Jiraya cringe out of the corner of his eyes, turning his head to see his sensei scrunch his face up in pain and Tsunade intensifying her stare at his best friend. “I see, but that does not explain the reason you are here now.” She carried a mistrusting tone in her words that resonated though the room. 

“I have returned to become a Konoha Shinobi again.” Tsunade watched the Uchiha closely, not fully believing his reasoning for showing himself here again. 

“And your brother? I was under the impression the reason you left to train under Orochimaru and betray the village, was to one day avenge your clan by killing Itachi.” Tsunade watched Sasuke’s dark eyes harden at the mention of his brother, telling her she had struck a nerve. He did stay calm under questions, answering her with a calm demeanor. 

“I have not given up on avenging my clan.” His stare towards the group grew fierce as he continued. “I have been unable to track his whereabouts until now.” Tsunade’s eyebrows went up in mild surprise. “Recently I have tracked him and his partner to a hidden base, not far from Konoha. My guess is that it’s an Akatsuki outpost, and its well-hidden. I have locked down the general location and it won’t take me long to finally locate it.” 

Jiraya and Tsunade shared a look for a moment before Jiraya nodded to her. Tsunade closed her eyes briefly, before focusing her light brown eyes on Sasuke. “Sasuke Uchiha, I accept your reasoning for returning to us.” Naruto let out a loud sound of joy that was quickly cut off by Tsunade as she continued. 

“However! There will be a mandatory watch on you for at least a year. A fair trade for your return I think. Seeing as you went rouge for quite a while, and if it was anyone else, you would be in jail.” Her eyes were like daggers, making sure the Uchiha knew how good of a deal he was getting, and that this was not a joke. “I want to make sure I’m clear. If you ever go rouge again, make no mistake, you will never be welcome here again. You will be considered a full fledged Missing-Ninja and like all other Missing-Ninja, you will be hunted down. Clear?” 

Sasuke wore an unreadable expression as he listened to Tsunade threaten him before nodding, agreeing to her stipulations. Satisfied, Tsunade smiled. “Good. Well then, welcome back Sasuke.” Naruto quickly walked up to his best friend, putting his arm around Sasuke’s shoulders. 

“Haha alright! Great to have you back Sasuke!” Loosing his balance from the overexcited blonde, Sasuke’s weight shifted and he lost his balance, keeping himself from falling at the last moment. He turned his head away from his old teammate muttering a; “Thanks.” 

Naruto smiled brightly. “Alright! Now all we need is Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan! Than Team Seven is back in business!” He threw his other arm high in the air, his hand balled into a fist of triumph. As if on que, a knock sounded on the window behind Tsunade, drawing the attention to area, where Kakashi knelt at the window sill looking at the room. The whole room was in shock as he opened the window and leapt into the room. “Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto exclaimed, happy and shocked to see him after two and a half years. 

Kakashi closed his eye with a smile, holding his hand up in a greeting, happy to see Naruto back. Inside though, he was very shocked to Sasuke and immediately wondered what Sakura would think once she found out he had returned. 

“Kakashi, welcome back.” Tsunade watched the silver haired shinobi focus on her as she spoke. 

“Stop by my office later to debrief me on your mission. Right now, I’m sure you have already noticed Sasuke.” Kakashi nodded to her, taking a quick peak at Sasuke. “He has returned to the village under the condition that he be under constant supervision for a year. As you are still the leader for Team Seven, the responsibility of watching him falls to you.” 

Kakashi turned to fully look at Sasuke nodding again to accept his new assignment. “Yes ma’am, understood.” Looking at Sasuke, he took in his appearance, feeling a new level of confidence and strength coming off him. “Sasuke, welcome back, its good to see you.” 

Sasuke bowed his head in acknowledgement to his former teacher. “Kakashi.” 

Somehow, Naruto’s grin widened. “YES! Now all we need is Sakura-chan!” 

As soon as Naruto finished his cry of joy, the door to the room flew open and a disheveled Shizune rushed in, tears streaming down her face, a letter clutching a letter tightly to her chest. The room immediately grew tense with worry and uncertainty. Tsunade stood from her chair instantly, worry etched on her face. If Shizune was upset enough to cry, something was seriously wrong. 

“Shizune, what’s wrong?” She tried to sound calm but was growing more and more nervous by the minute. 

“Lady Tsunade, its Sakura-san.” At the name of their teammate, Team Seven’s ears perked up, the concern plain on each of their faces for their kunoichi. 

“Sakura-chan? What’s happened to her?!” Naruto walked up to Shizune, worry coating his words. 

“Naruto! Give her some space. Shizune, tell me what is wrong?” Tsunade watched her first pupil take a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. 

“I started my normal morning at the hospital, doing some paperwork until Sakura-san arrives.” Shizune’s eyes closed in sadness for a moment, a few leftover tears sliding down her cheeks as she continued. “Only, she never showed up for work which is very unusual for her. I waited for over thirty minutes before I finally walked over to her apartment.” She only made eye contact with Tsunade, not bearing to look at Sakura’s teammates. 

“I knocked on her door, and after no answer, I took the spare key she hid under her mat and let myself inside. I checked the whole house, but she was nowhere to be seen.” Her eyes wavered with fresh tears as she continued. “I was about to rush out of the house before I found a note,” She held up the note still clutched in her grasp for everyone to see. “It was left on her kitchen table. I’m so sorry Tsunade-sama, but this note is from Sakura-san, and she has left the village.” 

There was a heavy silence as Shizune finished relaying the grim and unexpected news to the group. Tsunade looked to Team Seven, taking in their confused and pained expressions. Gritting her teeth, she looked back to Shizune, holding her hand out to silently ask Shizune to show her the letter. Shizune nodded, walking over to Tsunade’s desk to hand her the letter, then walking out of the room with heavy steps. 

Tsunade unfolded the letter and began to read it out loud. Through ought the letter the men in the room emotions turned darker. At the end of the letter, Tsunade sat down with a thump, her face full of frustration. “Damn it Sakura!” Fueled by her frustration, her fist slammed into her desk violently, creating a big dent in the center, sending papers flying around the room. 

“Tsunade, hand me the letter please.” Jiraya held his hand out for the letter, reading it himself before handing it to Kakashi. Tsunade tried to compose herself as she watched Sakura’s letter be passed through the room. Finally, the note landed in Sasuke’s hands. Rereading the note, a sentence stuck out to him. 

_‘On the off chance you ever run into Sasuke, please tell him that he was right about me._

_I am weak and annoying._

_But that’s about to change.’_

Sasuke’s hands balled into tight fists, crumpling the letter in his hands. After training so hard, trying to put everything from Konoha behind and ultimately failing after he killed Orochimaru, he realized that he always subconsciously planned to return for many reasons. 

To restore his clan. 

To rejoin his roots as a Konoha shinobi. 

To duel Naruto again. 

He had wanted to kill Itachi before returning but due to the illusiveness of his whereabouts, he knew it was better to return first and enlist Tsunade to help him fully locate his brother. The fact that Sakura had followed in his footsteps, upset him. When he had left her on that bench almost three years ago he felt bad leaving her behind but did not want her involved in his quest as an avenger. It was his problem and had nothing to do with her. 

He had wanted her to stay here. 

To greet him when he eventually returned. As she always had before. 

He never thought of her as weak or annoying. In the very beginning right out of the Academy he did think that she was just another fan girl. But working as a team with her, watching her grow, he knew she had great strength that would only grow under Tsunade’s guidance. He never thought she would ever have a reason to leave their home like he did. It didn’t make sense to him. As it fully sunk in, he became increasingly worried for her, playing out different scenarios in his head of what could happen to her if she ran into the wrong situation. 

Alone. 

Without himself, Naruto or Kakashi there to help her out if she ran into trouble. No one is invincible. 

He had to find her. 

“Tsunade, this is exactly why it was a bad idea to keep the secrets from her.” Sasuke’s head shot up at Jiraya’s scolding, noticing out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi and Naruto mirroring his look of pure confusion. 

“What secrets?” Sasuke broke the brief silence, wondering what kind of secrets Sakura could have. He thought he knew everything about her. About all of Team Seven. He looked from Jiraya to Tsunade, waiting impatiently for a response from the pair. “What aren’t you telling us?” 

Tsunade who ran her hand over her face, suddenly very tired and stressed, finally answered them. “I know, I know. I should have realized that earlier to prevent this.” 

Kakashi intensely focused his gaze on The Hokage. “Tsunade, what do you know about Sakura that we don’t?” His tone was a fierce as his stare, almost demanding to know what was happening. Like Sasuke, the urge to find Sakura intensifying the moment after Jiraya had let loose the bomb of some apparent secrets about his pupil. 

Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease the dull pain of a sudden headache that had formed. Choosing her next words carefully, she told them everything. “Sakura’s secret is an extremely top tier level secret that only a few select shinobi in this village know about.” 

“What kind of secret?!” At Tsunade’s pause Naruto stepped in, impatience flashing in his eyes. 

Tsunade flashed the blonde a slight glare, this wasn’t easy for her. At all. “Her identity, Naruto. Sakura Haruno is from a much larger clan than everyone knows, to hide her in plain sight from certain people who would wish to use her.” 

**END OF CHAPTER 3**


End file.
